The big old round windows at top and bean bag seats provide the perfect backdrop to sink into a new story.

Traditionally, portable library buildings would park at schools to offer kids the opportunity to check out books. Since many of the old Dutch town roads are so narrow, a new idea came to Architect Jord den Hollander. He saw an opportunity in tricking out a typical shipping container by having it pop up– revealing a small library below and a reading room above. The library embraces the digital age with four computer terminals, but it also packs 100 meters of book shelves in its slender interior.

The fun design uses a transparent floor to help light the lower section of the libray and let adults keep an eye on the youngsters above. OK, thats not the fun part — the cool effect of the magnifiying floor makes kids look huge, turning the libray into a sort of fun house. The big old round windows at top and bean bag seats provide the perfect backdrop to sink into a new story.

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5 Comments

wanderaDecember 19, 2011 at 3:01 am

Incredible design.I like the careful utilization,demarcation and definition of space.This would boost up reading spirits if enacted in Kenya.The transparent floor can be swapped to translucent glass to increase the privacy gradient.How would anyone receive assistance to develop one locally for the community?

ceasomJune 7, 2011 at 8:42 pm

I love the design and utilization of space but I have to agree with joanneQW on the transparent floor. One of these images shows a woman taking a photograph of the kids standing above her and one of those kids is wearing a skirt. There has to be a privacy issue with that, surely?

joanneQWMay 6, 2011 at 8:16 am

Lovely piece of architecture/engineering – but how long, I wonder, before the ‘political correctness’/child protection issues of having a see-through floor leads to complaints?

Stella AjikeApril 16, 2011 at 12:57 am

Incredible! I love books but feel sad that most children in my country – Nigeria – have no desire to read books! We have greedy leaders who do not see the damage they cause to our future world! God help us!